Iran's state-run news agency, IRNA, reported on Tuesday that international inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had closed off two lines of inquiry regarding Iran's nuclear program. The IAEA, based in Vienna, did not immediately respond to the claims made in the report.

According to IRNA, citing "knowledgeable sources," the IAEA concluded its investigation into the recent discovery of traces of uranium enriched up to 83.7% purity at Iran's Fordo nuclear site. This finding had raised concerns about nonproliferation, as weapons-grade material is typically enriched to 90%. Iran had attributed the presence of these particles to "unintended fluctuations" at the Fordo facility. It is important to note that Iran has been producing uranium enriched to 60% purity, a level deemed unnecessary for civilian use by nonproliferation experts.

Furthermore, IRNA stated that the IAEA also closed its inquiry into traces of man-made uranium found near the city of Abadeh, at a site called Marivan. Analysts had previously linked Marivan to Iran's secret military nuclear program and alleged high-explosives tests conducted by Iran in the early 2000s. The United States, the IAEA, and experts have maintained that Iran abandoned its military nuclear program in 2003. However, Iran had claimed in June 2022 that the uranium traces discovered at Marivan were a result of sabotage by a third country, a claim that the IAEA found lacking in supporting evidence at the time.

The IRNA report did not provide specific details about the actions Iran took to address the concerns of the IAEA inspectors. It did, however, emphasize Iran's expectation of reciprocal and constructive engagement from the IAEA, based on the principle of goodwill.

The release of the IAEA's quarterly report on Iran's nuclear program is imminent, and these recent claims by Iran have raised further concerns regarding the country's nuclear activities. The international community will closely monitor the IAEA's findings and assess their implications for global nonproliferation efforts.

It is worth noting that these developments occur against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic efforts to address the Iranian nuclear issue and the nuclear deal negotiations involving Iran, the United States, and other world powers.